Dry cleaning system



June 16, 1936. M F, MORAN- DRY CLEANING SYSTEM Filed May l27, 19:55

ATroRNEYs.

Patented June 16, 1936 l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,044,096 par cLEANmG SYSTEM Matthew F. Moran, Kansas City, Mo.

Application May 27, 1935, Serial No. 23,682

2 Claims. (Cl. 210-150) This invention relates to improvements in dry Figure 1 is a side elevation of a dry cleaning cleaning systems and more particularly to dry system partly in section, embodying this invencleaning systems having means for cleaning the tion.

soiled cleaning uid coming from the Washer Figure 2 is a horizontal, sectional view taken 5 Without removing it from the system. on line II--II of Fig. 1, and,

In dry cleaning systems now in general use it Figure 3 is an enlarged, central, sectional view is common practice to use leaf filters having of the auxiliary filter. screens coated with an inert, pulverized, absorb- Like reference characters indicate similar parts ent material to aid in removing the foreign matthroughout the several views and the numeral I0 ter from the cleaning solvent used in the system. designates a filter of any suitable type, which is 10 These screens become loaded and must be cleaned adapted to clarify the solvent or cleaning fluid, at intervals and a new coat of filter aid applied. such as gasoline, which is used in the system.

'I'he method of handling this filtering problem The filter shown in the drawing is of the leaf has been to scrape the filter aid, together with type, which consists of a cylindrical casing I2,

the accumulated foreign matter, from the screen in which is mounted lter leaves I4. The lower 15Y and permit it to collect in the bottom of the portion I6 of the casing is preferably frustolter by settling, and at intervals remove the conical in shape. A clothes-containing machine accumulated sludge, together with the solvent, I8, which is commonly called a washer, is placed from the filter and clean it by special treatment in a suitable position relative to the filter and which requires considerable time and expense. is interconnected therewith by means of pipe 20y Furthermore, the settling process of removing 20. This pipe 20 is adapted to receive the clear the accumulated materials from the solvent solvent from the iilter leaf I4 and direct it to would remove only a part of the objectionable the washer. Also, an outlet pipe 22 from the matter from the solvent circulating through this lower portion of the washer communicates with 25 system, thus making it impossible to properly the casing of lter I0, thereby completing a 25 clarify the liquid and to permit the re-coating of closed circuit in which the washer and filter the filter screen with filter aid without the colare in series. Pipe 20 is provided with a control lection of objectionable solid matter yet remainvalve 24 and a sight glass 26. ing in suspension in the cleaning liquid. Interposed in pipe 22 is a trap 28, valve 30,

Also, with this settling system now in general pump 32, sight glass 34, valve 36 and valve 38. 30 use the liquid enters the top portion of the iilter, During the clothes cleaning operation the used in order to give the iilter aid a better chance solvent will pass from the lower portion of washto coat the screen without settling to the bottom er I8 through pipe 22 and its associated members of the filter. to the bottom portion of filter I0, where it will be Many other diiiiculties are now encountered, directed by nozzle 4Il to cause a whirling of the 35 including the presence of cloudy solvent in the solvent contained within the filter, therebyprewasher at the time of re-coating the filter screens, venting settling of all solid substances contained loss of time and expense. This invention overwithin the lsolvent and directing them to the comes these diiiiculties, and the principal object filter leaves where they will be collected, thus is to provide a dry cleaning system having a delivering a clear solvent into pipe 20 where it 40 washer, a filter, an auxiliary iilter, and valvewill again be delivered to the washer. It will be controlled interconnecting pipes, whereby the observed that the two arms 42 and 44 of pipe filter may be selectively placed in open circuit 22 communicate respectively with the lower and with the washer or the auxiliary filter. upper portion of the filter casing I2, thus making 45 Another object of the invention is the proit possible by means of valves 36 and 38 to direct 45 vision of a dry cleaning system having means the solvent delivered by pump 32 either adjacent whereby the cleaning fluid is selectively injected the top of said filter leaves or to the conical porinto either the upper or lower portions of the tion I6 of the filter. lter, Communicating with the lower extremity of Other objects of this invention are eiiiciency filter Il! by means of an outlet or drain pipe 48 50 and economy of operation, simplicity and conis an auxiliary iilter 50. 'I'his auxiliary fllter is venience of construction and adaptability to a preferably positioned below lter I0 so thatliqud large number of uses. being drained from I0 will enter the top portion Reference will now be had to the drawing, 0f the llxiliarylter by gravity. AS shown in wherein: Fig. 3, this auxiliary filter comprises a casing 52, 55

having an open top which is provided with a removable closure 54. This closure is held in operative position by means of bolts 56 and wing nuts 58.

Mounted in casing 52 below pipe 48 is a screen support 60, which serves as a partition to form compartments 62 and 64 in casing 52. This screen support is adapted to secure filter bag 66 in operative position during the filtering process. Pipe 68 communicates with compartment 64 adjacent the bottom of 52 and interconnects with pipe 22 between the washer I8 and pump 32, and is provided with a control valve 10. Drain pipe 48 is also provided with valve 12 and sight glass 14. It will be observed by referring to Fig. 3 that the filter bag 66 may be removed through the open upper end of 52 after the closure 54 has been removed, thus making it possible to quickly clean the filter bag and replace it for continued use. A storage tank 16 positioned beneath auxiliary filter 5U is adapted to receive liquid from the auxiliary filter through a pipe 18 interconnected with pipe 68 and provided with valve 80.

For removing liquid from storage tank 16, a pipe 82 which extends to a point adjacent the bottom of the storage tank, communicates with pipe 22 between valves 10 and 3i] and is provided with a control valve 83. An air vent pipe 8B communicates with the upper compartment 62 of the auxiliary filter and is provided with a cuto valve 8G. Filter i0 is also provided with an air vent pipe 88 which has a control valve 99.

The direction of fiow of the solvent in the system as described above is continued so long as the liquid passing from the filter to the washer through pipe 20 continues clean, and the pressure in the system does not become excessive. This can be determined by observing the fiowing liquid through sight glass 26 and the operation of the pump. Also, the condition of the liquid passing from the washer to the lter may be determined through sight glass 3d.

When the pressure in the system becomes too great, due to the accumulation of material on the filter screen, valves 2li, 3U and 38 are closed and valves 36, 12 and 10 are opened, thereby closing the washing circuit and opening the filtering circuit. The leaf filter screens which previously had been treated with a suitable filter aid such as an inert, powdered, absorbent material are scraped to remove said filter aid and accumulated waste material therefrom. An example of a manner of scraping filter leaves ifi may be found in my United States Letters Patent No. 1,959,491, dated May 22, 1934, and relating to improvements in Filter screen Wiper. This material when scraped loose from the screen tends to move downwardly in casing i2, but will not necessarily be broken up and carried from the filter until the pump is set in motion to draw the liquid from the lower portion of filter I2 through auxiliary filter 50, pipe 68, thence through pipe 22 in which pump 32 is positioned, thence through the upper arm 44 of pipe 22 and into the filter adjacent the top of the lter leaf i4, thereby agitating the liquid throughout the filter chamber, thus causing the breaking up of the caked material which had previously been scraped from the screens and causing it to fiow with the outgoing liquid through pipe 48 into the auxiliary filter 5l! where it will be retained in the filter bag 66, while the filtered liquid will pass through pipe 68, pipe 22 and back to the filter i0. This process will be continuous until such time as the liquid passing by sight glass 14 is shown to be clear, thus indicating that all foreign substances have been filtered from the cleaning solvent and necessarily are impounded in the filter bag 66.

Valve 12 is now closed and the pump continues its operation to remove the solvent from auxiliary lter 50, thus leaving the accumulated foreign matter in substantially a dry state in filter bag 66. During this operation valve 86 is opened to allow air to enter auxiliary filter 50, thus preventing the formation of a vacuum therein. After this operation is completed, valves 10 and 3B are closed, valves 30 and 38 are opened, thereby opening the washing circuit. At this stage a new supply of filter aid may be deposited in the solvent and the pump set in motion to cause a circulation of the solvent, together with the filter aid, which will accumulate in a thin layer over the surface of the filter leaf i4. When this operation has been completed, the system is now in condition for further washing.

With valves 12 and 10 now closed,I the closure 5d is removed from auxiliary filter 5E), bag G6 is removed and cleaned and again returned to position ready for another filtering operation. It may be possible to filter several batches through the filter bag Sii before it will need to be cleaned. However, this depends entirely upon the nature oi the materials being washed and the amount of foreign matter deposited in the solvent.

Under certain conditions it may be desirable to simply drain the excess solvent from the auxiliary lter and this can be accomplished byopening valves 80 and 85, thus permitting liquid in 50 to pass into the storage tank 15. Furthermore, all of the liquid contained in filter i0 and auxiliary filter 5i] might likewise be drained into the storage tank 1S through pipe 18 and then pumped back into the system through pipe 52 by simply closing valves 16 and 30 and operating pump 32.

Provision is made for passing the liquid from the washer or filter directly to a still or treating tank through pipe 92, which is normally closed by means of valve 9G. To keep the cleaning liquid in proper condition it is necessary that it be chemically or heat treated and it is for this purpose that provision is made for delivering it F through pipe S2, after it has been passed through the auxiliary filter or after it has been used in the washer.

It is apparent that the filtering means pron vided in this dry cleaning system is adapted to be operated to thoroughly clean the liquid cleaner without removing it from the system and also to do this without interfering with the washing process for any material length of time.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Fluid treating apparatus for dry cleaning systems comprising a main filter casing having filter leaves therein with powdered absorbent material thereon; an auxiliary filter below the main filter for removing the spent inert material from the stream of fiuid passing by gravity from the main filter to the auxiliary filter after the same has been removed from the filter leaves; a drain pipe interconnecting the bottom of the main filter and said auxiliary filter; and a pipe interconnecting the auxiliary filter and the main filter for returning the fluid to the main filter llast mentioned pipe 4having branches extendingv therefrom in communication with the upper and lower portions respectively of the main filter casing whereby to direct the returned fluid against the filter leaves or into the absorbent material removed from said filter leaves to agitate the same, said last mentioned pipe having a pump in connection therewith to force the uid from the auxiliary filter to the said main filter casing above the drain pipe, said branches each having a valve therein to selectively cause Y the fluid to enter the said casing of the main filter at the locations set forth.

2. Fluid treating apparatus for dry cleaning systems comprising a main filter serving t0 act upon the solvent passing through the system, havingl filter leaves in the upper portion of the main filter casing; an auxiliary filter having an open mouth bag suspended therein and dividing the same into an upper and lower compartment; a frusto-conical bottom forming a part of the main filter; a drain pipe interconnecting the lowermost point of said bottom and the upper compartment formed in the auxiliary lter interconnecting the lower compartment of the auxiliary filter and the said main filter for returning the solvent filtered by the bag in the auxiliary filter to the said main filter, said last mentioned pipe having a pump therein andprovided with a branch in communication with the upper and lower portions respectively of the main lter. said auxiliary lterbeing below the said main filter whereby particles of the absorbent material and solvent pass by gravity from the latter to the'formenthe open mouth bag within said auxiliary filter serving to hold the said particles of absorbent material as the solvent passes through the bag into the lower compartment of the auxiliary filter for returning to the main filter, said upper branch having the end thereof directed toward said filter leaves within the main lter whereby. said returning solvent bathes the said filter leaves to aid in cleaning when returned to the main filter through the upper branch, said lower branch terminating within the main iilter whereby said returning solvent agitates the material in the lower part of the main iilter when returnd to the main iilter through the lower branch, each of-said branches having a control valve therein.

MATTHEW F. MORAN. 

